New England Law Events

New England Law Student Receives Top Award in Intellectual Property Competition

(Boston Revised 03/01/2012) New England Law | Boston: A New England Law | Boston student won the best oralist award in the 2011 Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition. The national American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) moot court contest focuses on issues of patent and intellectual property law, and the East Coast regional competitions are held in Boston. The school’s team also placed very well in 2010 in its first entry in the competition.

Prateek Shukla '12, Professor Herlily, and Wei Ren Campbell '11

In 2011, Wei Ren Campbell ’11 and Prateek Shukla ’12 represented New England Law in the regionals. “They did an outstanding job in the face of stiff competition from such schools as Harvard, Georgetown, American University, Duke, and the University of Minnesota,” noted Professor Eileen Herlihy, the team coach.

Shukla received the top award for Best Oralist based on the judges’ combined scores. There was a three-way tie for this honor out of 40 participants.

The moot court competition’s fictional case involved alleged infringement of a patent. Competitors needed to consider an assertion of unpatentable subject matter and whether the claim was unenforceable due to inequitable conduct.

“All of our competitors in the past two years have worked very hard over several months to prepare for this competition,” said Professor Herlihy. “The judges’ comments following each round attest to the high quality of our students’ oral arguments.”The moot court competition’s fictional case involved alleged infringement of a patent. Competitors needed to consider an assertion of unpatentable subject matter and whether the claim was unenforceable due to inequitable conduct.

The IP team are among several that represent New England Law | Boston in regional and national advocacy events. The law school’s moot teams are competitive, and in 2010 the Tax Moot Court Team claimed the national title. Participation in these events provides an introduction to the legal community through contact with the practicing attorneys and jurists who adjudicate competitions, making it a great way for students to demonstrate their potential to future employers.